August 9, 2016

1957: Conerly TD Passes Lead Giants Past College All-Stars

The 24th annual College All-Star Game on August
9, 1957 matched up the New York Giants, reigning champions of the NFL, with an
All-Star team coached by Curly Lambeau for the third straight year.

Head Coach Jim Lee Howell of the Giants placed great
authority in Vince Lombardi, his offensive assistant, and Tom Landry, who
operated the defense. Behind center was QB Charlie Conerly, who platooned with
Don Heinrich, and the offense also featured star all-purpose HB Frank Gifford
as well as capable runners in HB Alex Webster and FB Mel Triplett. The tough
defense contained All-Pros in DE Andy Robustelli and safety Emlen Tunnell plus a
rising second-year talent in MLB Sam Huff.

Coach Lambeau, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers
for many years who finished up with the Cardinals and Redskins, had the
All-Stars well prepared to face the Giants. The roster contained several
offensive players who would become pro stars such as quarterbacks John Brodie
from Stanford and Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung, Syracuse FB Jim Brown, halfbacks
Jon Arnett of USC and Billy Barnes from Wake Forest, and Michigan end Ron
Kramer.

It was a wet Friday night with over 75,000 fans in
attendance at Soldier Field and the start of the game was delayed due to a
major deluge of rain combined with a gusty wind that caused the elimination of
pregame introductions and other festivities. The Giants had the ball first but Alex
Webster fumbled it away on the third play and the All-Stars capitalized. With
John Brodie behind center, they advanced 55 yards, the key play being a 22-yard
gain on a triple reverse, and Billy Barnes capped the series by running wide
for a two-yard touchdown in a fourth down situation. Paul Hornung missed to the
left on the extra point attempt but the collegians held the early 6-0 lead.

The Giants had to punt following their next series but regained
possession on the All-Star 20 when Barnes fumbled. A running play lost a yard
and two throws by Charlie Conerly were broken up, but the pro champs got on the
board when Ben Agajanian, just short of his 38th birthday, kicked a
33-yard field goal with a minute remaining in the opening period to narrow the
score to 6-3.

Early in the second quarter, New York put together a
drive that covered 88 yards in five plays. It featured Conerly passes to
Webster for 33 yards and then to end Ken MacAfee, who took advantage of a good
block by end Kyle Rote after hauling in the throw at the All-Star 25 and going
the distance for a 38-yard touchdown. Agajanian’s conversion put the Giants
ahead by 10-6.

Late in the period, Barnes created some excitement for
the All-Stars by breaking away on a carry from his 35 that nearly went the
distance before a diving DHB Ed Hughes tripped him up at the New York 37, a
distance of 28 yards. Three plays later, Brodie suffered an injury but Hornung
came in at quarterback and ran for a first down at the nine. New York’s defense
held and the collegians settled for a 12-yard field goal by Paige Cothren of Mississippi.
The Giants maintained a 10-9 edge at the half.

In the third quarter, the Giants put together a long
drive of 77 yards in 10 plays, helped along by a questionable pass interference
penalty on Michigan State DHB Clarence Peaks, who had nearly pulled the ball
away from Frank Gifford. That moved New York to the All-Star 15, and two plays
later Conerly threw once again to MacAfee, who was open in the end zone for a
10-yard TD. Agajanian booted the point after.

Later in the third quarter, and with Hornung still at
quarterback, the All-Stars drove into New York territory but came up empty when
Cothren missed on a 33-yard field goal try. However, early in the fourth
quarter the collegians got a break when Sam Huff flagrantly interfered with Ron
Kramer and Cothren this time came through for a 24-yard field goal that made it
a five-point contest.

That would be it for the All-Stars as the Giants
responded by advancing to a 45-yard Agajanian field goal. Then, with three
minutes left to play, New York DHB Dick Nolan capped the scoring by foiling a
double-reverse and tackling Illinois HB Abe Woodson in the end zone for a
safety. The Giants came away winners by a final score of 22-12.

New York had the edge in total yards (281 to 220) while the
All-Stars led in first downs (16 to 14)

Each team turned the ball over once.

Charlie Conerly completed 8 of 17 passes for 124 yards
and two touchdowns and Mel Triplett led New York’s ground game with 74 yards on
17 attempts. For the All-Stars, Paul Hornung, utilized on option plays, was
successful on 5 of 7 throws for 39 yards and John Brodie was 8 of 20 for 94
yards. Billy Barnes rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries, scoring the lone
All-Star TD.

“They stopped us as well as anybody in the league stopped
us,” said New York’s Coach Howell of the All-Star defense. “Their defensive
line and linebackers were excellent.”

The win for the Giants marked the 15th in the
series for the pro champs, against seven for the All-Stars and two ties. New
York followed up by going 7-5 during the season to place second in the Eastern
Conference.

The game marked the finale for Curly Lambeau as coach of
the All-Stars. As a former pro coach, his selection in 1955 had marked a
departure from the practice of using college coaches for the contest. Lambeau
had coached the Packers in the game three times, going 2-1, and his record with
the All-Stars was 1-2.